Tabatha Laverty

Tabatha Laverty
Vice-President, Marketing and External Relations, Accelerator Centre
Young Leader Impactful Actions Award Finalist

It was during a Grade 8 field trip to a television station where a classmate’s father worked that Tabatha Laverty decided that she wanted to be a journalist. “I really didn’t consider another career until I graduated from Seneca College’s Television Broadcasting program, just as journalism as a business model was changing,” says Tabatha. “I realized that there wasn’t as broad of a variety of career options as I would have liked and ended up at a Big Four accounting firm, working in administration and marketing.” She was drawn to the storytelling aspect of journalism and discovered that marketing and communications would offer her the opportunities to tell those stories.

Tabatha’s career journey from project management, marketing, communications and community engagement to her current role as an acclaimed non-profit leader and award-winning marketer has seen her develop a passion for workplace equity and inclusion and an understanding of the vital importance of mentorship.

As VP of Marketing and External Relations at the Accelerator Centre in Waterloo, Ontario, Tabatha has spearheaded the organization’s EDI Action Plan, resulting in significant progress in creating a more inclusive and equitable innovation organization and tech community ecosystem. Most significantly, when women-led start-ups account for approximately 17.5% of all private-sector businesses in Canada, over 63% of the Accelerator Centre’s most recent program launch are women-led businesses, with 26% being led by newcomers to Canada, and 5% by indigenous entrepreneurs.

Tabatha was also instrumental in developing the Accelerator Centre’s cleantech incubation program, a first for Waterloo Region. In 2020, the programming was expanded to support all entrepreneurs working on solutions that support the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, adding resources for med-tech, ed-tech, smart city and social innovation-focused start-ups and supporting nearly 100 start-up companies.

Tabatha’s commitment to the advancement of women in the workplace includes her participation in the Waterloo Region Chapter of Women in Communications and Technology (WCT-WR) as a board director. “I love this community. The Kitchener Waterloo area has been such an incredible place for my family to live and work, and I’m passionate about giving back. Serving on the WCT-WR board is one way I can do that. I look forward to doing amazing things with this incredible organization and increasing access to networks, mentorship, and community for women across the region,” says Tabatha.

In addition to her role on WCT-WR’s board, Tabatha serves as a mentor in the organization’s Mentoring Circles program. She participates in monthly meetings with a fellow mentor and 5-6 mentees in similar career stages to share stories, provide guidance and help build mentees’ skill sets. “Mentoring is very important,” notes Tabatha. “It’s essential to reach out to people who have accomplished something you want to accomplish. And it’s important to get out of the echo chamber by including mentors from different backgrounds. For me, that was learning about finance, strategy, and EDI from people more accomplished in those areas than I am.”

In addition to the wisdom gleaned from her mentors and career champions, Tabatha has broadened her skill set through post-graduate certificates in social media management, fundraising, digital marketing, stakeholder management and non-profit and voluntary sector management. As a wife and mother of three, Tabatha prioritizes making time for herself and her family. “I wouldn’t say I am an expert in work-life balance, or that I have it figured out,” she says. “But I am lucky to work at a place that values flexibility, and I do my best to find a balance that works for me and my family.”

In 2021, Tabatha received the Global Women in Leadership Award issued by the Global Council for the Promotion of International Trade and, in 2022 was nominated for DMZ Women of the Year Award. Profound Impact is proud to have designated Tabatha as a finalist in the Young Leader category for this year’s Impactful Actions Awards in recognition of her work as an accomplished leader and active community champion.

You can see more of Tabatha’s career and impact in the visualization below.

Do you have an impact story to share? Let us know at connections@profoundimpact.com for a chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter!

CEO Message

With the arrival of Spring, Profound Impact enters into the second half of our fiscal year with plenty of highlights to share from a productive March and a view into what’s planned for April. 

This month, in celebration of Earth Day on April 22, 2022 — our team will once again take on the responsibility of spending at least one hour doing something to benefit the environment. We invite our Profound Impact network to follow suit and participate in making a difference by doing something to help the environment — such as going for a walk, clearing the trash in your community, or even planting a tree. Whatever you choose to do this Earth Day, our collective impacts will make a real difference.

Speaking of making a difference, Profound Impact is proud to release our first Social Impact Report! We set a goal for our organization to be an early adopter of social impact programs and you can read all about our first year of activities here.

Last month, Profound Impact powered the second annual International Women’s Day celebration events in collaboration with WCT Waterloo Region, which attracted over 450 participants from our community and around the world — all coming together to #BreakTheBias. We had a productive time celebrating the successes of women entrepreneurs, professionals, and community leaders from the Waterloo Region and beyond. A big thank you to our inspiring panelists for sharing their stories and advice — and of course, our valued sponsors and partners for their support in making this event possible. If you missed the event or want to re-watch the insightful panel discussions, you can access them on our Women Empowering Women Digital Community platform here.

As we head into the warmer months, Profound Impact is looking forward to continued collaboration as we strive to create a community that empowers positive change. Stay connected with us on social media and through our upcoming Profound Connections newsletters for more information on upcoming events!

Thank you for your ongoing support and engagement,

Sherry Shannon-Vanstone 

International Women’s Day 2022

Hosted on the Profound Impact™ Platform, Three Days of Free Virtual Event Programs

Profound-Impact-IWD-News-ReleaseDownload

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

REGION OF WATERLOO CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2022 WITH THREE DAYS OF FREE VIRTUAL EVENT PROGRAMS

Women in Communications and Technology — Waterloo Region Chapter to host three online events celebrating, educating and empowering women

WATERLOO, ON | FEBRUARY 24, 2022 — In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, Women in Communications and Technology — Waterloo Region Chapter (WCT-WR) is partnering with various community organizations to host three virtual events during the month of March featuring some of the Region’s most notable female leaders, entrepreneurs and innovators.

Centered around the 2022 campaign theme #BreakTheBias, participants will share personal stories of overcoming stereotypes and discrimination in the workplace. There will also be live panel discussions on empowering women in healthcare and education, achieving financial independence and assessing overall perceptions of women in society, culture and the workplace.

“Women have made tremendous progress in advancing gender equality and challenging existing gender stereotypes, but there is more work to be done,” said Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, CEO of Profound Impact Corporation and Founder of WCT-WR. “With the pandemic posing serious risks to women’s progress in the workforce, empowering and educating women is more important than ever.”

CEO Message

Happy Women’s History Month! March is a time to celebrate the countless women who have made significant contributions to our society. This year, we’re honouring women in a month-long celebration who #BreakTheBias and have a Profound Impact™ on communities globally. From scientists and entrepreneurs to artists and activists, women have broken barriers to inspire the next generation of leaders and prove that the possibilities are limitless. 

The first event of this month-long celebration was held on March 1, 2022, in collaboration with the Women in Communications and Technology Waterloo Region (WCT-WR) and 15 other organizations from across the Waterloo Region including Perimeter Institute, Vidyard and OpenText. This event was hosted on WCT-WR’s Women Empowering Women’s Digital Community powered by Profound Impact. Highlighting this year’s theme – #BreakTheBias, the opening event featured several esteemed speakers: Bardish Chagger, MP Waterloo, Jean Becker, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous Relations, University of Waterloo; Deborah MacLatchy, President, Wilfrid Laurier University; Madhu Ranganathan, EVP, CFO, OpenText and Kate Paul, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager, Bruce Power on how they have overcome bias in their respective industries.

Don’t worry if you missed the March 1st event (watch the recording here!); the second will be on March 8th, International Women’s Day, beginning at 12:00 PM EST (register here). Last year’s successful online event drew nearly 400 participants from all across Waterloo Region and demonstrated how virtual gatherings can be a powerful tool for learning and connecting people. 

We will conclude the month-long celebration with an event on March 22nd, beginning at 12:00 PM EST (register here) with a conversation about a topic that is extremely important to me – Angel Investing and Early Stage Funding for Women Owned/Founded Businesses . To discover more about these upcoming events, discussion subjects, and panelists, I encourage you to visit the Women Empowering Women platform for the most recent information. To further participate in the discussion and share your impact, register on the platform here.

Our March Impact Story highlights a woman who is breaking barriers for women in the world of crypto, Web3 and NFTs — Janelle Hraiki Chalouhi, Co-Founder of Venuseverse. Please continue to read the rest of our Profound Connections newsletter to learn more about the first Canadian female-founded, female-focused educational program, incubator and NFT collection as well as how Janelle is using this opportunity to help women increase their digital financial literacy.

Warmest regards, 

Sherry Shannon-Vanstone 

CEO Message

Message from the CEO

Welcome to our February edition of Profound Connections! 

Our team at Profound Impact™ has been busy working on our upcoming webinar in partnership with Wilfrid Laurier University. I’m pleased to let you know that on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at 12:00 pm EST, we will be hosting our first Profound Insights webinar of 2022: ‘How to Effectively Communicate and Match Research Funding Opportunities’. 

Towards the end of 2021, our team partnered with Wilfrid Laurier University and their research department to better understand how Research Service Offices (RSO) across Canada communicate grant opportunities, partnerships and research policies. Searching for insight into how research across Canada is conducted effectively, we surveyed 23+ universities and research institutions and received 40 responses from across the country! 

Our upcoming webinar will be able to provide insights into how RSOs can more effectively communicate and match research funding opportunities. Moderated by our very own Sherryl Petricevic, Account Executive, we will be discussing the findings of our Research Matching Survey and highlighting key takeaways from the report with our panellists Dr. Jonathan Newman, Vice President of Research, Wilfrid Laurier University, Shawna Reibling, Knowledge Mobilization Officer, Wilfrid Laurier University, and Rob Darling, Strategic Advisor, Profound Impact. 

Know someone who might be interested? Please invite them to attend and RSVP through our registration page here. Webinar attendees will be provided with a free copy of the final Research Matching Survey report.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and I look forward to seeing you all on February 22nd for our first Profound Insights webinar of the year. Additionally, our team, in partnership with WCT Waterloo Region, looks forward to hosting you for a series of virtual events held exclusively on our Profound Impact platform throughout the month of March to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022: #BreakTheBias and the women in our Waterloo Region community. For more information, read on and check out the IWD 2022 WR webpage hosted on WCT WR’s Women Empowering Women Digital Community to stay up to date with all of the latest information about panelists, conversation topics and entertainment.

Warmest regards, 

Sherry Shannon-Vanstone

CEO Message

Message from the CEO

Happy New Year and welcome to the first 2022 edition of Profound Connections!

I hope that you all had a restful holiday season. With a new year underway, the team here at Profound Impact™ can’t wait to share with you what we have planned for 2022 but before we do that…let’s look back at 2021.

To close out 2021, our team launched a new initiative: 12 Days of Impact, designed to encourage people and organizations to contribute their time, resources and talents to help address local challenges. Our 12 Days of Impact calendar outlined daily challenges that focused on spreading the giving spirit during the holiday season. Not only did our team members at Profound Impact contribute to these daily challenges, but as an organization, we took it one step further. 

Through our efforts, we were able to give back to organizations doing vital work in our greater community. Additionally, based on the social media engagement and votes of our followers, Profound Impact was able to support Actua, Canada’s largest STEM outreach organization. Profound Impact’s contribution will support the delivery of impactful hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) experience to youth across Canada. Many youth including Indigenous youth, girls, and at-risk youth face barriers that prevent access to education opportunities. Through Actua’s national inclusion and diversity programs, they are hard at work to remove these barriers.

Now on to 2022…coming in March is International Women’s Day (IWD) 2022 with the theme #BreakTheBias. We are thrilled to once again be working with the Women in Communications and Technology Waterloo Region Chapter (WCT WR) and 18 other organizations representing this vibrant community to present during the month of March several  IWD 2022 events and amplify over 10 other events in celebration of women in the Waterloo Region. 

For more information on this event and additional exciting news from our team, read on and enjoy this edition of Profound Connections!

Warmest regards, 

Sherry Shannon-Vanstone

Sherryl Petricevic

Sherryl Petricevic

Leader, Innovator and Mentor in the Waterloo Region Community

Sherryl Petricevic is an exceptional leader in the Waterloo Region who continues to achieve excellence and provide opportunities for all members of the community. Sherryl’s career experiences have unleashed her innovative capabilities both personally and professionally, aiding in the advancement of the Women in Communications & Technology (WCT-WR) community. 

When the need for a Co-Chair was established in the Waterloo Region Chapter of WCT, Sherryl was naturally the ideal candidate. As someone who knows the Waterloo Region community ecosystem very well, in addition to lived-experience watching Waterloo Region transform into an innovative, entrepreneurial space with talented, motivated people to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, Sherryl’s expertise is exactly what the role required.

As Co-Chair of WCT-WR, Sherryl has played an active role in spearheading several of the organization’s initiatives and programs. Sherryl spent several months consulting with employers, academic and research institutes and community organizations to identify a gap in the availability of mentorship programs for women within the Waterloo Region. 

Through Sherryl’s leadership, WCT-WR developed a highly-collaborative program called Mentoring Circles to address the gap. Mentoring Circles are designed to provide like-minded professionals in any industry the opportunity to form strategic partnerships with members of the group. The partnerships are intended to help members deal with current career challenges, as well as find the support and tools they need to grow and develop in their careers. Since the inception of WCT Waterloo Region Mentoring Circles in 2019, over 200 participants of all career stages have participated in the program. 

Sherryl’s experience in building partnerships and programs with Communitech and the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation has enabled her to support big dreamers as they endeavoured to scale-up their businesses and identify niche needs that demanded solutions. Through a tremendous amount of leg-work in meeting community partners to identify the mentorship gap, Sherryl was able to do the same for WCT. Sherryl played a major role in forming the WCT Executive Committee and ensuring the Waterloo Region Chapter was very active, dynamic and inclusive reaching into far corners of the community and removing any barriers to entry. With a clear vision from the start, Sherryl has been able to execute her plans with laser-precision. The success of the WCT Mentoring Circles program is directly attributed to Sherryl’s dedication and resilience.

We commend Sherryl for her continuous efforts and look forward to her future successes and endeavors in the Waterloo Region community and beyond.

Do you have an impact story to share? Let us know at connections@profoundimpact.com for a chance to be featured in an upcoming newsletter! 

Entrepreneur of the Year Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CEO OF LOCAL TECH STARTUP NAMED RECIPIENT OF PRESTIGIOUS ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD TO BE RECOGNIZED THIS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 

As recipient of a Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) 2020 Annual Leadership Award, Sherry Shannon-Vanstone to participate in WCT Celebrates: Sparks of Change 2021 event series

WATERLOO, ON | MARCH 2, 2021 — Profound Impact™ Corporation, a Canadian company providing a next-generation social engagement and interaction platform, is thrilled to announce its President and CEO, Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, will be recognized as the recipient of the WCT 2020 Annual Leadership Excellence Award in Entrepreneurship on March 11, 2021. 

The prestigious awards program recognizes women, men and organizations committed to gender diversity in Canada’s digital industries. In an effort to recognize recipients of the 2020 Annual Leadership Excellence Awards Gala after the cancellation of the Annual Awards Gala, WCT Celebrates: Sparks of Change 2021 will be hosted throughout the month of March to applaud honourees. 

For nearly 30 years, WCT has been a leader in advocating the benefits of gender equality in the workplace. WCT is Canada’s only national organization with chapters coast-to-coast dedicated to keeping a persistent focus on the under-representation of women in digital industries. The organization’s Leadership Excellence Awards are focused on celebrating the contributions and achievements of women and diversity champions that are helping to close the gender gap in the tech industry. 

As the recipient of the WCT 2020 Annual Leadership Excellence — Entrepreneur award, Sherry has been recognized for the significant contributions she has made to the spectrum of digital industries while also dedicating her work towards the advancement of women in STEM. 

Sherry has been involved in three successful start up ventures, including Cylink Corporation, Blackberry Certicom and TrustPoint Innovation. Most recently and in honour of her late husband, Scott A. Vanstone, Sherry founded Profound Impact Corporation in 2018. Profound Impact is a next-generation social engagement and interaction platform providing digital communities for universities and their alumni to engage, discover, and measure the impact that the institution and its stakeholders have on technology and the world. It also aims to build a sense of community for a global audience of affinity groups such as women in STEM and entrepreneurs. 

“I am honoured to be recognized alongside other industry trailblazers that continue to make material differences in the roles women possess and their influence in the digital economy,” said Sherry Shannon-Vanstone. “When embarking on every new venture, it has always been my goal to help women discover and advance in innovative industries.”

WCT Celebrates: Sparks of Change is a leadership excellence event series presented by Microsoft. Seven webinars throughout the month of March will provide a chance to meet and engage with the recipients of the WCT 2020 Annual Leadership Excellence Awards.

On March 11, Sherry Shannon-Vanstone will be featured on a panel titled, “Boldly Go Where Few Women Have Gone Before,” alongside Françoise Gagnon, CEO of ADGA Group Consultants Inc., and Sonia Brar, VP of Customer Operations Strategy and Design & Delivery at Bell. The discussion, moderated by Carole Santerre, VP of Network Reliability and Service Assurance at Shaw Communications, will be centered around paving the way for women to ascend in male-dominated industries within ICT/STEM. 

To register for WCT Celebrates: Sparks of Change, visit https://www.wct-fct.com/en/programs/leadership-excellence-awards. 

For more information about Profound Impact™ Corporation, please visit www.profoundimpact.com. 

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ABOUT PROFOUND IMPACT CORPORATION 

Profound Impact™ connects great people to do great things by providing a unique and transformational digital community to measure the worldwide impact of an organization and by facilitating and accelerating connectivity to inspire collaborative solutions to difficult global problems.

Website: www.profoundimpact.com 

Facebook: @aprofoundimpact

Instagram: @aprofoundimpact 

LinkedIn: Profound Impact Corporation

Twitter: @aprofoundimpact

For media inquiries, please contact:

Durrell Communications

media@profoundimpact.com 

International Women’s Day 2021


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WCT-WR-IWD2021-Press-ReleaseDownload

REGION OF WATERLOO CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2021 WITH FREE ALL-DAY, VIRTUAL EVENT PROGRAM

Women in Communications and Technology — Waterloo Region Chapter to host day of online celebration of women in local community on March 8, 2021

WATERLOO, ON | MARCH 4, 2021 — In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, Women in Communications and Technology — Waterloo Region Chapter (WCT-WR) is partnering with community organizations to host a full day of virtual events featuring some of the Region’s most notable female names participating in live panel discussions, pre-recorded vignettes, musical interludes, interactive games and other activities.

International Women’s Day is a global day of celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It also marks a call to action for accelerating gender equality. The theme for this year’s campaign is #ChooseToChallenge — highlighting women and organizations who have chosen to challenge gender bias and inequity while helping to create an inclusive world that empowers women and celebrates their achievements. 

“Although our traditional ways of celebrating women in our community may look different this year, connecting with one another to collaborate and forge positive change for women has never been more important,” said Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, CEO of Profound Impact™ Corporation and Co-Chair of WCT-WR.

International Women’s Day in Waterloo Region is traditionally celebrated by community organizations and members via a range of activities that celebrate the women who have made, and continue to make, a difference in the Region. With COVID-19 restrictions limiting in-person gatherings in 2021, the the #ChooseToChallenge Waterloo Region event will be hosted through the Profound Impact digital community platform. 

“We are very excited to be hosting just one of the 500+ impactful virtual events worldwide on the Profound Impact platform in 2021, to help foster the meaningful connections our platform was designed to do,” said Vanstone. 

Waterloo Region’s #ChooseToChallenge day of events will run from 8:30am — 5:00pm on Monday, March 8 and include engaging conversations on the following topics: 

  • Women in Science
  • Impact of Youth in the Community
  • Impact of Mentoring 
  • Female Tech Founders
  • Recognizing Women Making a Difference in our Community
  • Choose to Challenge in Waterloo Region 

Additionally, donations will be facilitated via the platform throughout the day for Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation’s Fund for Gender Equality, which provides funding to organizations that have demonstrated a long-term commitment towards a future grounded in equity, inclusion and justice for women, girls, Two-spirit, and gender-diverse people.

Proud partners and participating organizations in this year’s event include, BMO, Durrell Communications, Kitchener Rotary, OpenText, Perimeter Institute, RBC, University of Waterloo, Vidyard and Wilfrid Laurier University. 

Participant attendance is open to all and free of charge to attend at any point throughout the day. For more information on the Waterloo Region’s International Women’s Day 2021 celebration and to register, visit https://demo.profoundimpact.com/iwd2021wr. 

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ABOUT WOMEN IN COMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY

Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) is a national association committed to advancing women in Canadian information, communications, media and technology. WCT inspires and engages women from coast to coast through professional development programs, networking and events, mentorship and opportunities to recognize achievements in Canada’s digital economy. 

Website: www.wct-fct.com 

ABOUT PROFOUND IMPACT CORPORATION 

Profound Impact™ connects great people to do great things by providing a unique and transformational digital community to measure the worldwide impact of an organization and by facilitating and accelerating connectivity to inspire collaborative solutions to difficult global problems.

Website: www.profoundimpact.com 

For media inquiries, please contact:

Durrell Communications

media@profoundimpact.com